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Windows 8 discussion...

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
I keep seeing features pop up in the tech blogs like Gizmodo/Engadget/etc.

They keep impressing me, over and over again. It's like Microsoft is actually being forward-thinking with this OS.

This one came up today:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/microsoft-details-windows-8s-new-storage-spaces-feature/

Basically allows you to make any number of drives (physical, virtual, network shares, etc.) into a storage pool to back up your data. Kind of like the Drive Extender feature that they killed out of Windows Home Server.

Is it me, or does Windows 8 have the potential to be f**king awesome?
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
What I like is that the cool "Metro" theme will be consistent across the board. PC, tablets, Xbox, and Windows Phone along with app sharing.

I think they should call "Windows 8" "Windows Metro". Same with the tablet and phone. "I have a "Metro Phone" or "Metro Tablet" sounds better than "I have a Windows 8 phone" or "Windows 8 Tablet".
 
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woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
Windows 7 rocks. My wife has Vista on her desktop and laptop and it sucks. We have 7 for both, its just a matter of installing them. A Windows 8 tablet/laptop (removable keyboard) would be awesome.
 

zdubyadubya

Turbo Monkey
Apr 13, 2008
1,273
96
Ellicott City, MD
I'm a die hard apple fanboi but I use a win 7 machine at work. computer is solid... no question about it. nice feel, simple, clean. i have hopes for win 8 but knowing microsoft, they will find a way to fvck it up just in time for the release date.

I'm already hearing grumblings from enterprise beta testers that it is too geared towards "personal" computing as if they are trying too hard to swipe the dumb consumer segment from apple and neglected the majority of power users/business professionals.
 
I'm a die hard apple fanboi but I use a win 7 machine at work. computer is solid... no question about it. nice feel, simple, clean. i have hopes for win 8 but knowing microsoft, they will find a way to fvck it up just in time for the release date.

I'm already hearing grumblings from enterprise beta testers that it is too geared towards "personal" computing as if they are trying too hard to swipe the dumb consumer segment from apple and neglected the majority of power users/business professionals.
The inability or unwillingness of Microsoft to separate personal and professional environments frustrates me. If I install IE on a server or a business office machine, it should not by default include shortcuts to Microsoft or any other media, entertainment or social sites. Same should apply to the operating system itself - if it's for business use, there should be a simple installation switch that turns all that crap off.
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
W7 is in fact pretty awesome. W8 will be better.
With a clean install by someone who knows what they are doing. My W7 machine is humming along just fine.

On a computer your average guy buys from the store? It still sucks balls, thanks to all the crapware.

You can get around it by buying a PC from a Microsoft store though. To find one of those, just look for an Apple Store with 5-15 people working for every customer browsing :D
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Crapware is over hyped these days. It used to be a bigger problem but a lot of the consumer machines aren't as loaded down. And W7 performs just fine on retail machines.

Anyway, W8 consumer preview was released today. I ran the alpha version, this looks a little more polished. There are some fundamental changes that take getting used to -but overall, very nice.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Not as bad as you'd think. I was surprised at how good the mouse experience is, and I think some of my quibbles with it are just not being used to it.

Plus, there is a desktop. You don't have to use it, but it's there.
 

zxc1104

Chimp
Mar 6, 2012
5
0
i'm always skeptical when microsoft releases windows... especially after the vista mess-up.

windows 8 from what i've been reading etc. seems really promising. i just hope they don't short release it without having all the bugs fixed etc.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Why?

Is it simply because you're having trouble breaking old habits, or is there something that is functionally problematic?
 

bean

Turbo Monkey
Feb 16, 2004
1,335
0
Boulder
Why?

Is it simply because you're having trouble breaking old habits, or is there something that is functionally problematic?
I expect to break some old habits with every upgrade, and I try not to immediately dismiss new stuff. But in this case I don't see how integrating metro into the system is an improvement over what's there now. Metro seems to be great for phones and tablets. My desktop isn't a mobile device and I don't interact with it like I would a mobile device. So why force Metro onto it?
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
i've been using win7 for work since the beginning of the year. its solid. some nice refinements over xp. vista has been left in the same trash heap as ME. and based on my interactions with WP7, i think win8 is gonna be some kick ass OS.
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
Looks awesome. The all or most of the negatives he pointed out with Win8 will probably be addressed for the final release version or at least in coming updates. I'll take a super thin/light ARM Win8 tablet that docks onto a keyboard with another battery and an Intel chip turning it into an ultrabook.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Looks awesome. The all or most of the negatives he pointed out with Win8 will probably be addressed for the final release version or at least in coming updates. I'll take a super thin/light ARM Win8 tablet that docks onto a keyboard with another battery and an Intel chip turning it into an ultrabook.
Yep. My laptop is running okay now and I've got my Touchpad for a toy. Next year, though, I'll be evaluating between an ARM tablet + keyboard dock, and one of the Ivy Bridge ultrabooks. Given the performance numbers of Ivy Bridge, it may be a tough decision.
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
i saw the other day that all phones currently running wp7 will be upgraded to win8
The current Windows Phones will probably not be upgraded. Windows Phone 8 will include the ability to run multiple cores, higher res screens, removable memory etc. They also say that they will be able to share apps but I find that unlikely as well. There will have to be some WP8 apps that won't be able to run on WP7 or at least not that well. There will probably be an update with many of the new features of WP8 but not full blown WP8. Which is fine. People tend get a new phone every two years anyway (especially when they are only $50, $100, or free!). WP7 will still be awesome. How many 3gs phones were updated to 4? Heck they are still shipping Android phones that are two versions old and GB has been out for what a year?! And Android users are already familiar with app compatability.

http://wmpoweruser.com/some-greatly-rendered-windows-phone-8-concepts/

http://wmpoweruser.com/now-the-verge-claims-that-current-windows-phone-devices-wont-get-apollo-update/
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
my win7 machine is very stable, never locks up. no desire to move on, and less so now:

http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2012/05/fear-and-loathing-and-windows-8.html
Seriously?

That might be one of the worst articles I've read in a while. First, the whole thing reeked of "waaahhhh, CHAAANGE." He harps on the design change while glossing over the fact that W8 has a full freakin' desktop environment. It's not an emulator. It's not a compromise. It's a desktop environment, and it's right on the surface, by simply pressing the Windows key on any desktop. You don't have to launch Windows Explorer. The only thing it's missing is the Start button.

What is this focus on missing file control? It's got Windows Explorer, and all desktop apps follow the same normal patterns as Windows 7 apps - file-centric controls. Or missing productivity? It has a FULL DESKTOP. The principle difference is launching apps out of the new start "menu."

Couple other points... "Control panels are missing." (yay, you have a beta product), "Incomplete support of existing hardware." (a sweeping statement when he really means that most of the current W7 touchscreens are crap), "Failing to warn users of potential problems." (lolwut? his complaint is that you can't roll back an OS installation. gee, shocker)

Just a terrible, terrible criticism of the OS, far over-stated, and based on incomplete or misleading opinions.
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
This guy probably was also one of the ones that complained when they put the start menu in! "Wait, you have to click "start" to shut down?!" LOL! Millions of non techy people are walking around with ipads and last I checked it is much different than Windows proving that unlike this guy people CAN learn a new OS!
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
Seriously?

That might be one of the worst articles I've read in a while. First, the whole thing reeked of "waaahhhh, CHAAANGE." He harps on the design change while glossing over the fact that W8 has a full freakin' desktop environment. It's not an emulator. It's not a compromise. It's a desktop environment, and it's right on the surface, by simply pressing the Windows key on any desktop. You don't have to launch Windows Explorer. The only thing it's missing is the Start button.

What is this focus on missing file control? It's got Windows Explorer, and all desktop apps follow the same normal patterns as Windows 7 apps - file-centric controls. Or missing productivity? It has a FULL DESKTOP. The principle difference is launching apps out of the new start "menu."

Couple other points... "Control panels are missing." (yay, you have a beta product), "Incomplete support of existing hardware." (a sweeping statement when he really means that most of the current W7 touchscreens are crap), "Failing to warn users of potential problems." (lolwut? his complaint is that you can't roll back an OS installation. gee, shocker)

Just a terrible, terrible criticism of the OS, far over-stated, and based on incomplete or misleading opinions.
whats interesting is even dvorak isn't impressed with windows 8.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386343,00.asp

I tend to agree with his articles, but not this one. he seems to have missed the notice that the metro interface runs on top of a more traditional desktop interface too.

I think he's also missing the shift in how typical consumers interact with pc's/desktops. He's too much stuck in the "business/enterprise workstation" mindset.